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Eight months on since the high-profile gang rape and murder of a student on a Delhi bus, reports have emerged that a similar crime has been committed against a photo journalist in an abandoned mill in the financial hub
Emotions have been high in India in recent days – and rightly so.
Eight months on since the high-profile gang rape and murder of a student on a Delhi bus, reports have emerged that a similar crime has been committed against a photo journalist in an abandoned mill in the financial hub, Mumbai.
This isn't the first gang rape, or rape for that matter, to happen in India since the December 16 assault of the 23-year-old student. There have been plenty. Every day. Equally brutal. In every corner of the country.
The media chose to highlight this rape – not just due to its savage nature, but also because it happened in broad daylight in a city that prides itself on being safe for women.
Although nowhere near as widespread or as large as the Delhi gang rape protests, demonstrations took place and the same outrage was once again expressed on social media sites, televised news debates and in newspapers.
The main discussion has centred around one issue – eight months on since the horrific crime in Delhi, since thousands took to the streets for days on end across India's cities and since a tougher law to curb sex crimes was brought in, rape continues to happen.
But did we really expect rape to decline in the eight months since the Delhi incident? No, of course not. But many Indians expected more than what has been delivered so far.
SLOW PROGRESS
A vast array of measures to make women feel secure and ensure speedy justice were pledged at the time, some of which the authorities have made a start on, but lamely and with no real political will behind them, say activists.
These include a $186 million fund for women’s safety called Nirbhaya (meaning fearless), a Hindi name given by the media to the Delhi gang rape victim.
This money should mean more police on the beat, better street lighting, more accessible public transport and the installation of CCTV in certain areas. Much has been talked of in cities like Delhi, yet there is little evidence of progress.
Steps to encourage rape victims – who are often riddled with shame and fear after an assault – to report crimes were also put in place, including telephone helplines. Yet while Delhi and some other cities have helplines, many do not.
The amended law on sex crimes sentences repeat rape offenders to death, criminalises voyeurism and stalking and makes acid attacks and human trafficking specific offences. Yet India's conservative parliamentarians stopped short of making marital rape illegal for fear it would "destroy Indian families".
The law also punishes police if they fail to register a complaint, yet cases of police insensitivity persist. such as the incident of a 10-year-old schoolgirl who was locked in a cell by police after she reported her rape.
Fast-track courts have been set up to deal speedily with rape cases, which often take years to come up with a verdict.
Yet the trial of those accused in the Delhi gang rape – a case that much of India and the world is following – is dragging on despite it being fast-tracked, showing just how much the country’s judicial system needs strengthening.
No one expects major change overnight. No one expects all the rapes, acid attacks, dowry deaths, wife-beatings, illegal abortions of girls and the trafficking and exploitation of women to end in eight months.
There is little doubt that a much more holistic approach is required to change deep-rooted patriarchal views, but these tiny steps – if implemented and enforced seriously – could help to end the barrage of abuses faced by India's women and girls.
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